blockade

1 of 2

verb

block·​ade blä-ˈkād How to pronounce blockade (audio)
blockaded; blockading

transitive verb

1
: to subject to a blockade
2
blockader noun

blockade

2 of 2

noun

1
: the isolation by a warring nation of an enemy area (such as a harbor) by troops or warships to prevent passage of persons or supplies
broadly : a restrictive measure designed to obstruct the commerce and communications of an unfriendly nation
2
: something that blocks
3
: interruption of normal physiological function (such as transmission of nerve impulses) of a cellular receptor, tissue, or organ
also : inhibition of a physiologically active substance (such as a hormone)

Examples of blockade in a Sentence

Verb They blockaded the country's ports. the militant protestors blockaded the whole area around city hall Noun it was the blockade of all the enemy's major ports that finally won the war
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
For six weeks, thousands blockaded the city’s three clinics, mobbing sidewalks, throwing themselves in front of cars, handcuffing themselves to fences and screaming verses from Scripture. Kate Zernike, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2024 The road map will also withdraw restrictions on the Houthis’ main ports and airports, which have been blockaded for years. Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2024 On May 13, 1862, Smalls had escaped from bondage by seizing command of a Confederate steamer, the CSS Planter, in Charleston, South Carolina, and sailing to the Union blockading fleet. Jonathan W. White, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024 But authorities erected hundreds of metal security barriers, blockading the entrance to the church and nearby Borisovsky Cemetery, preventing the crowd from entering or placing flowers during the church service or graveside burial. Catherine Belton, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024 The rowdy confrontation was the latest in a monthlong showdown that has seen farmers blockade roads around France and in Paris — a movement that has spread to other countries, including Greece, Poland, Belgium and Germany. Liz Alderman, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2024 On February 15, 2024 several major Mexican trucking chambers blockaded major highways near important logistics hubs in Mexico in order to draw attention to security problems drivers face on Mexico’s highways. Nathaniel Parish Flannery, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 Protesting farmers blockade the A10 highway near the Peage de Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines toll gates southwest of Paris. Sophie Tanno, CNN, 3 Feb. 2024 Though impressive, these and other operations have momentarily disrupted Russia’s use of the Black Sea to blockade Ukraine’s grain shipments, launch missiles against Ukraine and resupply its soldiers. Paul Lushenko, The Conversation, 16 Feb. 2024
Noun
In an interview for NBC News four days into the blockade, Huffman praised Musk for showing, through his acquisition of Twitter and subsequent mass layoffs, how a business could survive bold changes. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2024 The enclave had already been subject to blockade by Israel and Egypt since 2007. Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 The blockade was to prevent bringing in deadly weapons to attack Israel. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 Elsewhere in Port-au-Prince, satellite images show blockades – some constructed by local residents and others by gangs – along major streets, closing off entire neighborhoods. Caitlin Hu, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 And if Mike Johnson, the far-right Republican speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, ends his party’s blockade of further U.S. aid to Ukraine, those 6,000 shells a day could become nearly 10,000. David Axe, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, Israel imposed a blockade on the territory, effectively cutting it off from the rest of the world. Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 The Israeli military subsequently launched retaliatory airstrikes followed by a ground invasion of Gaza, a 140-square-mile territory where more than 2 million Palestinians have lived under a blockade imposed by Israel and supported by Egypt since Hamas came to power in 2007. Abc News, ABC News, 3 Feb. 2024 After the Hamas attack, Israel tightened the blockade. Claire Parker, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blockade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

derivative of blockade entry 2

Noun

block entry 2 + -ade, after German (17th century) Blocquade, Bloquade, Bloquada & Dutch (17th century) Blocquade, Bloquade

Note: The German and Dutch words, which are common in accounts of contemporary events in Europe following the siege and sack of Magdeburg in 1631, are of uncertain origin. They appear to have no Romance antecedents. According to R.J. Brunt, The Influence of the French Language on the German Vocabulary: 1649-1735 (De Gruyter, 2013) "…Ger[man] Blockade probably derives from Ital[ian] bloccato, the past part[iciple] of the verb bloccare 'stringere con il blocco, privare di refornimenti" (p. 160). It seems much more likely however, as Brunt suggests in the same paragraph, that the word was formed from German bloquiren (present-day blockieren), attested earlier and probably borrowed from French blocquer (though in this sense the word is attested only slightly earlier). The suffix -ade/-ada is a distinct borrowing from Romance sources. The Dutch word may have been borrowed from German, or independently formed from blockeren "to enclose" (present-day blokkeren "to obstruct"), also borrowed from French.

First Known Use

Verb

1684, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1659, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blockade was in 1659

Dictionary Entries Near blockade

Cite this Entry

“Blockade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blockade. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

blockade

noun
block·​ade
blä-ˈkād
: the cutting off of an area by means of troops or warships to stop the coming in or going out of people or supplies
blockade verb
blockader noun

Medical Definition

blockade

1 of 2 noun
block·​ade blä-ˈkād How to pronounce blockade (audio)
1
a
: interruption of normal physiological function (as transmission of nerve impulses) of a cellular receptor, tissue, or organ
b
: inhibition of a physiologically active substance (as a hormone)
2
: the process of reducing the phagocytic capabilities of the mononuclear phagocyte system by loading it with harmless material (as India ink or lampblack) which engages its cells in phagocytosis and prevents them from reacting to new antigenic material compare blocking antibody

blockade

2 of 2 transitive verb
blockaded; blockading
: to subject to blockade

More from Merriam-Webster on blockade

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!